


True Halves of a Complicated Whole

by Varmint



Series: Snow Leopard and Excitable Puppy- Soulmates no Matter What [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Adorable Kiba, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Conversations, Drama, Emotional Roller Coaster, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Grumpy Tobirama, M/M, Platonic Soulmates, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sequel, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, serious topics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-11 17:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12940350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varmint/pseuds/Varmint
Summary: Sequel to Reluctant Soulmate, Meet Adorable Soulmate!Kiba and Tobirama love each other more than either had expected when they'd first met. Their lives weren't perfect, but they weren't horrible either. Trouble came, drama shattered their peace, and the odd misunderstanding soured their happiness. But they weren't soulmates for nothing. Expect fluff. So much fluff. And angst!





	1. Chapter 1

Sequel time! I'm finally getting on it, as promised a couple of months back. I couldn't leave the Tobirama/Kiba pairing alone, if I can tell y'all the truth. So I've decided to post this first chapter and see how it goes.

Maybe this'll be the first sequel I manage to complete!

( _*fingers crossed*_ )

~..~..~

"If you don't get off of me at this very moment, I will make you regret ever having met me."

Kiba pressed his nose even deeper into the crook of Tobirama's neck, unable to keep himself from smiling.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

His arms remained wound tight around the taller man's waist- strong enough to make him understand he would _not_ be letting go, but not so much as to hurt him. And his legs stayed in their place, keeping Tobirama pinned to the bed below them.

It wasn't a comfortable position. It wasn't even all that pleasant- Kiba could feel blood rushing out of the arms that were kept under Tobirama's chest. But this was one of the best ways to keep the ex-Hokage in bed with him… So he worked with what he could. Could he really be blamed?

A long suffered sigh left the silver haired man's lips, muffled by the pillow that was busy currently keeping his face smushed. "Yes. You have. Every day since I allowed you to move into my apartment."

Softly, Kiba chuckled at himself. Then he pressed a kiss into Tobirama's pale neck and separated his head from the male's body to look at him, "It'd be every minute if we finally got a big place."

They both knew that Tobirama could throw him off without breaking a sweat. Both males were very much aware that, if the Senju so willed it, he could make Kiba regret ever having thought he could keep him pinned down to the bed.

But just as they knew this, both males were also painfully aware of the fact that Tobirama would never willingly hurt Kiba. And, even though neither would admit it, Tobirama secretly enjoyed Kiba's more affectionate actions.

"And here I thought you enjoyed being in an enclosed space with me." Finally the Senju turned his head to the side, allowing Kiba to see half of his face, "Aren't your arms getting tired?"

"Very much so, yes." Kiba smiled down at him, "But I love cuddling, you refuse to give me cuddles, and I'm in desperate need of them. So I've got to get me some of my own."

Tobirama rolled one red eye around and Kiba found himself having to stop himself from laughing at his dramatics.

His soulmate may insist he was grounded and down to earth… But he certainly was one of the most dramatic and over reactive people the Inuzuka had ever met.

"You've got a dozen other brats you can get such a thing from." The man huffed, although he began to move around so he could roll over.

Kiba loosened his grip on him enough for the man to do so and they wound up lying chest-to-chest. Once that was over with, Tobirama moved his arms so they were wrapped around Kiba's lower back, pulling him even tighter. And Kiba moved his arms so they were framing the man's head, smiling down at him in what he _knew_ was an extremely goofy, stupid manner.

"Okay, yeah, I can get _hugs_ or high fives from other people," Kiba conceded, but pouted mockingly, "But there's one thing no one but you can give me."

Tobirama quirked one elegant white eyebrow, but did not question him. Instead he allowed Kiba to continue speaking.

The Inuzuka had no problem with this.

He lowered his head so that their lips were only a couple of millimeters apart, eyes staring intently into Tobirama's own.

"Well, I could try…" He murmured, "But I don't think you'd be too happy."

Tobirama lifted his chin up just minutely, enough for their lips to brush against each other.

One second passed in which they both stared at each other. Neither moved a muscle- Kiba didn't feel like he even breathed.

Then Tobirama's grip on him tightened and he brought their lips together. This time it was a solid and true kiss, the kind that still managed to take Kiba's breath away.

~/~

Once their lips had separated, Tobirama allowed himself to rejoice the warmth that flowed from his lover's body for a couple of seconds. Then tapped the Inuzuka's hip twice with his right hand and pushed at his body softly with his left.

"I don't wanna go, though."

"We have duties to complete."

Kiba didn't move.

"Errands to run."

Not even a flinch.

Tobirama sighed, " _Food to eat_."

Predictably, _that_ got a rise out of his soulmate.

Kiba groaned loudly, rolled off of Tobirama's body, and released a loud sigh once his back hit the mattress.

"Why do we even have to do stuff? Why can't we just stay in here all day and do _nothing_?"

Tobirama smiled softly even as he rolled his eyes at his soulmate's actions.

He was accustomed to Kiba. He sometimes still grew exasperated with his dramatics, but that was only human on his part. It was completely normal to sometimes grow annoyed with the significant other you had allowed into your heart after years of trying to deny him.

"Because if we did nothing, we would die."

Kiba huffed and threw an arm over his eyes. Tobirama, as Kiba continued to sulk, busied himself by stretching so he could begin his day.

"Are you being a smartass again? Doing nothing does _not_ include not breathing."

"Are you still sore over the argument you lost?"

He did not have to look back at Kiba to know he was pouting.

"… You've got morning breath…"

 _Real mature_ , the man thought in amusement. But he didn't bother replying. Instead he made his way over to the bathroom he was now forced to share with Kiba (which he didn't actually mind, although he'd never let Kiba know that) and began his morning routine.

~/~

When he stepped out of the bathroom, Kiba was dressed and prepared for the day. Well, physically, he looked the part. Mentally, he just wanted to stay in Tobirama's _extremely comfortable_ bed and never have to move ever again.

Unfortunately, because he was a shinobi and it was his duty or something, he needed to actually do stuff. Which was _so_ not okay. But that was just the way the world worked sometimes, no matter how unfair. So Kiba had to actually do things he didn't want to do… Like always.

"So, what's our schedule today?" He asked as he sat down at their small kitchen's island, Tobirama a blur in the kitchen as he prepared the day's breakfast.

Tomorrow would be Kiba's turn. And he had an extremely _awesome_ breakfast planned out to make Tobirama's morning _perfect_. But that was tomorrow. This was today. And today he would not be offering any of his services to the (evil) soulmate that had forced him out of his bed… _Their_ bed.

"Tsunade is in desperate need of emissaries to go the Hidden Mist. It seems that they're under threat of the Mizukage being *dethroned*- _again_ \- and the bureaucrats wish to have Konoha's word that we'll help them keep her in her place."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at this. The smells of Tobirama's wonderful cooking were invading his nose, and normally this would cause him to be distracted. But what he'd heard from Tobirama had him so intrigued that not even his food could distract him.

"Konoha can't promise that… Can we? Like, we shouldn't be forcing our way into other Village's political problems. That's like asking for us to be hated."

"We're already hated, Inuzuka." Tobirama deadpanned, stopping suddenly in his cooking to level him with a glare.

Kiba glared back with equal disinterest, "You know what I meant, old man."

For a second, they both glared at each other without saying a single thing.

Then Tobirama smirked and went back to his cooking.

"We both agree, then. I'm going to go and explain to Tsunade why we can't expend any of our forces trying to keep the peace in Mist- not even for diplomatic reasons. That means my schedule will be full until at least midday."

Kiba huffed at this information- not completely sure why, it wasn't as if he expected to be able to hang onto Tobirama the whole day- and nodded. He thrust his hands inside of his pockets, hands beginning to chill a bit because Tobirama had no idea just how cold his apartment could get. But once they were inside, his right hand bumped into something… Which was odd.

Frowning softly, Kiba looked down and pulled out the scroll that had found its way into his jacket.

Blinking at the rather small object, he called out, "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"I'm trying to tell you the exact thing I already told you. Why would you- what is that?"

~/~

Kiba wasn't the kind to carry scrolls around. Especially scrolls that were so small they could be eaten up by any of the pups the Inuzuka Clan had lurking around their compound. So it wasn't farfetched for him to doubt just where the scroll had come from.

"Dunno… It was in my jacket's pocket."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, "Don't open it. Give it to me."

The Inuzuka didn't fight him on this. He merely leaned over the kitchen counter with his arm outstretched, the scroll within his hand, as Tobirama shut his stove off to not burn any of the food. Once he was sure that nothing would be ruined because of this sudden development, the man grabbed the scroll and searched it for any kind of booby traps.

His sensory skills were usually so great that he could sense traps in other _Villages_. But whenever Kiba was around- much like years ago- he found those senses to be muddled. He was still able to feel dangerous things, but not as acutely or easily as when Kiba wasn't around.

"Nothing."

The frown on his face was heavy. And it wasn't a frown he wore lightly.

This jacket had been resting inside of Kiba's side of the dresser for a good month now. The kid always managed to bring a change of clothes, even though he had a dozen different articles of clothing stashed away for emergencies. And if Kiba didn't recognize the scroll as something he'd left inside of his jacket when he'd brought it here, then it meant someone that was neither him nor Tobirama had left it inside.

"How do you think it got in there?" Kiba asked softly, as if whispering would keep his voice from being heard by unseen adversaries.

Tobirama was not surprised by Kiba adopting the quiet whisper. He had a penchant for theatrics. But, for once, these theatrics didn't seem all that out of place.

"I haven't felt anything off in my apartment. If my traps had been set off, I would have known. So whoever left this knew how to get in here and leave without alarming me." His frown deepened at these implications, then breathed in and moved to open the scroll. "Be prepared for anything."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kiba nod stiffly.

Even though Tobirama was more than aware that if anything dangerous came out of this scroll and hurt him, it certainly would have no difficulty hurting him, he still felt reassured upon witnessing the kid's actions.

He unrolled the scroll, muscles tensed so tightly he felt he could snap at any moment.

For the couple of seconds after it was completely stretched out that passed, silence reigned.

Then, "What does it say?"

Tobirama's red eyes scanned over the fine print that had been used to write on the piece of parchment, feeling his frown loosen.

It still remained, but it was no longer worried… Instead, it was a confused one… He was confused.

 _What_?

Blinking, Tobirama began at the top of the message.

"Don't leave me in the dark, Tobirama."

The man heard Kiba's feet hit the floor as he jumped down from his seat. Then he heard his hurried footsteps as the teenager stalked towards him. But he just ignored his soulmate and finished reading the message for the second time.

"Gaara wishes to meet with you…" The man murmured, eyes narrowed as he read over the fine scrawl, "Next week. At the Village Gates. It says he has something important he wishes to consult with you about."

Kiba weedled his way in between his arms, firmly planting himself against Tobirama's front so he could read the message as well without taking the paper from the man. And the Senju allowed it, just stretching his arms out a bit more so the Inuzuka could fit comfortably.

Once Tobirama had finished reading his third and final repetition, Kiba cleared his throat. "It says he wants to talk with you too."

Tobirama frowned once again and glanced down at his soulmate, "Just what could that friend of yours need to tell both of us that must remain so secretive?"

Kiba shrugged and pointed at a specific sentence, "Says here that he'll be joining Kankuro, Temari, and their soulmates on a diplomatic caravan… Guess he's using that as an excuse to see us."

"But why _us_?" Tobirama stressed, "Why not just you?"

"He trusts you." Kiba huffed, " _And_ he enjoys it when you're around?"

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow down at him. Kiba looked back at him with a disinterested not-quite glare. "He _does_." He reiterated, then pushed Tobirama's arms away so he could step out from his embrace. "Guess we'll just have to wait until next week to find out what's up."

~/~

Just why Gaara had gone to such lengths to hide such a cryptic yet _plane_ message, Kiba wouldn't find out until next week. But it must have been something big if he had gone through all the trouble of keeping everything quiet and hidden until Kiba had found himself grabbing the jacket.

"Funny thing is that this thing must have been hidden for a while…" He murmured as he returned to his chair while Tobirama rolled up the scroll and placed it on the kitchen counter beside him, "It's got a full date… He must have hidden that last time he was here."

"Three months ago?"

Scratching at his chin, Kiba shook his head, "No, he was here after that… It was a smaller trip- with only Baki-Sensei accompanying him. They were here to transfer a prisoner or something…"

"Still…" Tobirama huffed, returning to his stove to begin cooking once again. "It isn't like him to be this cryptic. Nor is he the kind to indulge others with his secrets."

Gaara was a weird one, so it wasn't all that weird- at least in Kiba's mind- for him to go to such lengths to make sure no unwanted eyes found his message. But he wasn't the kind to trust easily in others, nor did he like bothering people with his personal problems. So he had never been the kind to tell others his secrets… Unlike his loudmouth brother, Gaara knew how to keep to himself.

Just what could he want to tell him that he'd needed to go to such lengths? And, even weirder yet, what could he possibly want to tell him _and_ Tobirama?

"Who knows?" Kiba finally relented with a sigh, "No use worrying over it. We'll find out in a week."

~/~

Kiba's ease with the situation was not out of character.

That did not meant it didn't bother Tobirama in the slightest bit.

His soulmate had always had a bad habit of _trusting_ too much. Which was an admirable quality, truly, when they found themselves on opposite sides of the world with more than a torturous amount of time and space between them. But this trust wasn't only for Tobirama- his _soulmate_. It was a trust he gave to all of his friends and loved ones.

It was admirable, in a way… But it could also be the Inuzuka's downfall.

Sighing softly, Tobirama flipped the fish he was cooking over.

They'd have to wait and see.

A somewhat uneasy silence fell over them. Tobirama wasn't sure if he perceived as uneasy simply because he was worried or if they _both_ felt that way. But he tried to force himself to relax- that if anything was truly dangerous enough for him to worry about, then Gaara would have warned them about it as well.

After he had finished cooking and had plated the food, Tobirama remembered something Sarutobi had wanted him to remind Kiba about.

"Don't forget about your community service at the Academy."

"What?! That's today?!" Kiba just about yelled, all the while Tobirama calmly walked up to him and placed his plate of food in front of him.

As Kiba freaked out, Tobirama sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and enjoyed his first bite of food. Then he turned to his lover, offered him a piece of food with his chopsticks, and smiled softly when the kid pouted at him.

"It's today, Akamaru is required, and you can't get out of this. Now accept my food because you know I don't do this often."

With a reluctant groan, the kid rolled his eyes. But as he did so, he moved his mouth closer to the offered food.

He opened up his lips and Tobirama dropped the piece of fish, eliciting an immediate moan from him.

"So good!"

Tobirama truly loved his soulmate.

No matter how much of an idiot he was.

..~..~..

Now, I've got no idea how I should proceed with the next chapter. So I shall put it up to a vote!

 **A)** Tobirama and Kiba living out their regular lives- giving exposition as to how some of the lives of other Konoha-native characters have changed in the few years that have passed.

 **B)** Last minute mission that forces Kiba and Tobirama to leave the village suddenly- Drama!

 **C)** Free choice. Write up what y'all want to see if you choose C.

Highest votes (or vote, I've no idea if anyone will even read, much less review this) will be the chapter I next write.

Please review and vote!


	2. Chapter 2

Convincing Tsunade to keep Konoha out of Mist politics was not as hard as Tobirama had expected it to be. But that may have just been because Rasa had sent her a message telling her that, no matter how much he wished it wasn't so, Suna would not continue being allies with Konoha if they helped Mist in things they had nothing to do with.

(Not like he'd ever admit it, but sometimes it became tiring to prepare himself for a fight with his pigheaded grand-niece, only to have done so for nothing because her soulmate had just asked please and she'd decided to allow it.)

(But, at the same time, he was grateful for it. Seeing how it had taken _finding her soulmate_ to understand why Orochimaru should not have been killed, maybe it was only for the best for her to have someone that could easily convince her out of her dumber ideas.)

So his schedule after that had been much less packed than what he had actually expected. Which had been something that had given him an excuse to go ahead and pass by the Inuzuka Compound to say his hellos to Kiba's family.

Even though Tsume and Hana both liked him, he was still dating _Kiba-_ Tsume's only son and Hana's only brother. They were extremely protective of the young Inuzuka and believed they were more than important enough in his life to worry him and try to do the best by him.

Tobirama could understand the wish to keep someone's family safe and sound. So he did his best to understand whenever they became insufferable with their demands and to not be completely annoyed with them when they wished for Kiba to spend more time with the Clan rather than with him. And he also tried his best to keep a friendly relationship with both women; if only to make sure that there was no unnecessary tension in the Inuzuka household because of him.

"Tobi-Sensei! Tobi-Sensei! Will you teach me and Senshi that cool jutsu you showed off last week?"

The ex-Hokage could not help but chuckle softly as different Inuzuka children began to run up to him, varying degrees of excitement and hope shining clear in their fang-shaped eyes.

"Koji, have you become a genin this past week and forgot to inform me?"

The little boy's face fell and his small brown pup began to bark up at him, glaring at Tobirama.

Koji was Kiba's cousin by _some_ blood tie. The teenager wasn't sure. Just like the rest of the Inuzuka weren't sure. Their love for the Clan was so strong that they considered everyone their family- it didn't matter if they were related closely, by some far blood connection, or no blood at all.

It was different for Tobirama. Within his own Clan, such relations _had_ mattered. But for the Inuzuka… Well, they were a rather intriguing and _unique_ bunch.

"I didn't…" He pouted softly, then glared up at Tobirama, "But you _promise_ to teach me once I graduate the Academy?"

"I swear on my life."

They both shared serious frowns. Then Koji broke out into a broad smile and jumped at Tobirama, gangly arms thrown wide open to wrap around his neck.

With any other Clan, Tobirama would have felt out of place and uncomfortable with suddenly being hugged by a child. But he had been around the Inuzuka for so long now that he knew that they were just the kind to hug whoever they deemed trustworthy enough to receive their affections.

Having a soulmate that was loved by just about every kid in the Clan, though, certainly didn't hinder him in any way.

Once he'd placed Koji down, Tobirama had found himself with the difficult task of wading through a crowd comprised of dozens of Inuzuka children, ranging from a mere five years of age all the way to teenagers.

"Kasai, Mizu, Kūki, Chikyū- aren't you four supposed to be working right now?"

"Not at all, Tobi-Sensei!" The quadruplets chorused immediately, which let Tobirama know that they were currently getting themselves into trouble. "We've done nothing wrong."

The quadruplets were an oddity in the Inuzuka Clan. But, at the same time, they were _so_ Inuzuka it was almost terrifying. Their mother had almost died giving birth to all of them. And when she had been tasked with naming them, she had decided that she would not spend too much time puzzling over good names- she'd just decided to name them by the four most basic elements.

Their relationship to Kiba was unclear at best. But they loved the boy- much like many of their Clansmen- and were always eager to recruit him for whatever prank they had thought up of.

With a soft frown and a shake of his head, Tobirama decided to leave the four alone. Eventually, a disgruntled chunin or jounin would appear to question just why these four weren't at their posts. But until that happened, he would not find out just what kind of work they had decided to skip out on today.

"You'll never make jounin if you continue like this."

"We're looking to get into the Tracking Corps anyway."

On he went, stopping every now and again to speak or assure one of the kids that were eager to find out more about his life, his jutsu, or where Kiba happened to be.

The kids here were not completely like the kids he had managed to see grow up in the Senju Compound… And this wasn't a necessarily bad thing.

It was nice, actually… To feel like part of something big once again... He didn't dare say to be part of a _Clan_ again. He didn't think he'd ever be able to acquire _that_ kind of feeling ever again without his brother by his side.

But this was more than just good enough.

~/~

"I hate kids."

Akamaru barked at him to call him out on being a liar.

Shino shook his head and continued to quietly munch on the delicious bento his soulmate had made for him.

Iruka-Sensei patted him on the back softly with a knowing look on his face.

"At least now you know how truly insufferable you were in your younger years."

The Inuzuka huffed and bit into the rice ball Fū had made for him, a small pout on his lips. "At least I was adorable…"

He didn't actually hate kids. If anything, he loved them. One of the best things he was asked to do with his family was take care of the Clan kids while the adults were busy… Well… _Adulting_. But just because he liked _his_ family's kids, it didn't mean he enjoyed taking care of snot-nosed brats that didn't know the difference between a pencil and food!

"Well, just remember that this is your community service punishment for that idiotic stunt you pulled with Kankuro and Naruto." Shino reminded him in an extremely condescending and patronizing manner that would have made Kiba clock him if he had happened to be anybody but one of his best friends. "Maybe next time you'll think twice about what kind of repercussions your actions will merit."

Kiba glared at him, raised one finger up in the air to point up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes as he nodded. "I would totally pull that stunt again; if only to see that old toad and hag flailing around like idiots again."

Akamaru sighed heavily and Kiba knew that the traitorous dog was on Shino's side. But he was at least comforted by the fact that Iruka-Sensei chuckled softly at his words.

Jiraiya and Tsunade hadn't really deserved such a harsh prank… But that didn't make Kiba felt bad for having helped Kankuro get some revenge for his soulmate.

He liked Orochimaru. Once you got past the crazy that had ruled over him years ago; once you looked past who had been and saw who he _was_ ; it was more than obvious to see that Orochimaru was a good man. Yes, he'd done some pretty despicable things… But, they were ninja. They _all_ were forced to do something horrible once in their lives…

(Well, at least, that's what he heard from the older shinobi. He'd yet to be faced with doing something horrible. And, really, he kind of hoped to keep it that way.)

The other Sannin weren't necessarily bad people. But Kankuro had told him that, after they had visited Orochimaru, the snake-nin had not left his room for a whole week. He had only allowed Kankuro and Baki to speak to him, but he had not made any kind of conversation. It had taken an endless amount of coaxing to get him to eat.

To Kiba, it had sounded like his old teammates had not yet been able to understand how much their opinion actually mattered to Orochimaru. So he, Naruto, and Kankuro, had decided to let them know.

It had been a crude prank and rather childish. They'd set up a trap with simple bait- perverted books for Jiraiya and a promise of a rendezvous with Rasa for Tsunade- and they had sprung their trap when the two had arrived at the assigned spot. But the Genjutsu they had managed to trap the two Sannin inside had seemed to have been enough to make them understand that they couldn't just traipse over Orochimaru like they had done before. They had not even mentioned visiting Suna once more after that prank.

But Shino didn't know any of this. He just knew that Kiba had pranked Jiraiya and Tsunade with the help of two partners in crime he refused to betray.

Quite frankly, Kiba _had_ gotten quite a minor punishment for what he'd done. But it wasn't like he was about to admit that. He couldn't give Shino _any_ leg up on him!

"You two…" Iruka-Sensei murmured softly.

Kiba opened his eyes to find the scarred chunin looking over at them with an extremely soft and fond look in his eyes.

All prior annoyance with children and Shino was forgotten once Kiba saw his teacher looking at him like this.

"I remember when you were that age." His eyes shifted over to the children running around the large playground outside the Academy's walls, a small smile coming over his lips. "Time sure does fly past you without letting you know what's happening… One day you're kids in my class, the next you're helping me _give_ my class."

A heavy feeling of… Well… He wasn't sure just what it was. But Kiba knew whatever he was feeling made his heart clench tightly and his throat feel as if it were about to close on him.

Iruka-Sensei had never been the kind to have serious talks with them. Actually, no, scratch that, he _had_ been the kind to talk about serious topics. But he'd been the kind to talk about _their_ lives. He'd never actually begun a conversation like this himself before.

Sometimes, Kiba forgot that Iruka-Sensei wasn't just his teacher anymore. They were equals now.

"Hopefully, we are actually being of use here." Shino cut in and Kiba looked at him to find him smiling softly.

Okay. Yeah. He could admit it. Shino was a pretty decent guy. Even though he was emotionally and socially stunted, he could show off his soft side at the most important and necessary times. And he was a dependable guy, too. No matter what, you could always count on Shino Aburame to say the right then when you needed it the mo-

"Well, hopefully _Kiba_ is being of use. I am always helpful."

The small smile that had smoothed over his face dropped immediately.

"I hope you choke on a bug and die."

~/~

"Lord Second; a pleasure to see you here."

Tobirama bowed just as Itachi did, a small smile playing on his lips.

"It is always a treat to be able to see you, Lord Itachi." He told the younger male, then turned to look at the male that had accompanied him. "And you, Sasuke. Unfortunately, Kiba isn't here at the moment."

The younger of the brothers nodded at him, "We know. Itachi still wanted to drag me here to spend time with him and Hana, so it didn't really matter if Kiba was here or not."

Of the two, Tobirama liked Sasuke the least. Itachi was level headed, analytical, and calm where Sasuke was impulsive, head strong, and rude. The younger of the two had grown up to be extremely different from his brother; he was much more carefree and less weighed down by the consequences of his actions than his older brother.

Just because he did not like the young man, though, did not give him the right to be rude to him. Nor did it help in stopping Kiba from having him as his best friend.

"Spend time with Hana?" The man asked, turning to look at Itachi once more, "I am guessing this means we'll be eating lunch together."

"Hopefully. Although, I don't smell anything being made."

Odd, Tobirama conceded. But not overly so. The Inuzuka tended to run on their own time, rather than on the time normal people were accustomed to.

"Just what was it that got Kiba into so much trouble that he was forced into community service at the Academy?" Itachi pried as Tobirama motioned for them to follow him.

Tobirama had entered Tsume's home without waiting for anyone to open up for him. He was more than welcome to enter whenever he pleased. And, once he was inside, it had been to find Itachi and Sasuke waiting in the receiving area.

"Something hilarious, I'd assume."

Tobirama shook his head softly at Sasuke's answer, "It dealt with my grandniece and Jiraiya. But, honestly, I have not been told. For once, Kiba has been rather tight lipped over his misadventures."

The three males made their way past the main living areas so they could head to the back of the large home, where the kitchen and dining room were positioned.

"That's not normal, is it?" Itachi questioned.

"Not at all." Tobirama admitted, "But I merely think it is because he does not want to hear me scolding him for what he did to my grandniece."

Once they reached the dining room, it was to hear a loud crash from the kitchen. They couldn't see inside, seeing how there was a wall and door in between both areas. But it was more than clear that something exciting had happened within the room just from the sounds that came from inside.

"No! Bad dog! You put that chicken down or I'll neuter you myself!"

"Mom, just let him keep it! We can't feed that to anybody."

"Of course we can. There are three male idiots out there that would never even know."

"There would be bite marks on that piece."

"You think men care? Let me tell you something, Hana, men-"

Tobirama decided to cut the woman off before she could insult them all, "It is a pleasure to be back in your home, Tsume."

"Tobirama!"

Tsume burst out of the kitchen with a feral grin on her face, her eyes twinkling with a dangerous light that made Tobirama immediately worry over what kind of plans she had cooked up.

Unfortunately, lunch in the Inuzuka household was _never_ free.

"Just the man I wanted to see! C'mere. I've got something I need to ask you about."

~/~

Once his shift at the Academy had finally ended, Kiba and Akamaru began to make their way back home.

The teenager was tired. Children were the worst and they had run him ragged. Akamaru was just as tired, but with even more reason to hate kids. Just like the past time, more than just a couple pieces of chewed gum, pasted papers, and other unfortunate unmentionables had wound up in his fur.

"I'm never having kids, boy. I promise you that. They're not worth the effort. And they're evil."

The dog huffed out a small thanks and shook out his fur, allowing a crayon to fall onto the ground below them.

Kiba loved kids. But, at the same time, he'd never be able to see himself having any.

First of all, neither he or Tobirama held the right reproductive organs to be able to have any kids in the biological, reproductive way. So he wouldn't be able to have a little clone of himself or Tobirama. And if he couldn't have a kid that looked exactly like him or his boyfriend to boss around, then what was the point of having any kids?

Second of all, he was pretty sure that Tobirama would never want to have kids. He had been so difficult at the beginning of their relationship… Even though they were in a good place now, Kiba highly doubted that he would want to take that next step so many people were eager to get to with their soulmates.

And, finally… He was scared of having kids. They were a big responsibility. And they took up _so much time, money, and energy_.

No one in their right minds would want to have kids.

Yup. Shino was _not_ in his right mind. Neither was Kankuro. Or Temari. Or… Geez… How many people did he know that wanted kids? Weren't they all kind of too young to be thinking about something so serious and life changing?

"How old am I?"

Akamaru barked out a quick "Eighteen. Have you already forgotten? You just celebrated your birthday a month ago."

Eighteen… He was just eighteen. He'd only been promoted to chunin two years ago.

 _Most_ of his friends were eighteen too. Most of them had also only just made chunin recently. Yet he was already hearing big and scary words from them. Marriage, steady job, and children were only just a couple of the huge ones that made Kiba wonder just when he had been left stuck in the past and in his teenage years.

Suddenly, he stopped walking. He glared down at the earth beneath him, uncaring if any of those people walking around him were bothered by him.

Why did he even care? Why was he even thinking about any of these things? People chose the way they would live their lives; _he_ chose how he lived his life. Their choices didn't affect him at all!

Frowning softly, the teenager thrust his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"I don't _ever_ want to work with kids again, boy."

His furry friend walked up to him and bit softly at his hand, asking just what in the world was going on with him.

"Honestly, boy?" He asked, looking down at his dog. "I don't know."

None of this had bothered him before.

What was different about today?

… Tobirama would know what to do. He knew everything.

Well, he knew a lot. _Not_ everything. But just enough to always seem to know what to say.

~/~

Lunch with the Inuzuka and Uchiha families was a nice affair. There were not too many shouts to be heard- most of which came from Tsume and had been directed at any given unfortunate victim- and the food had been delicious. Although they had been forced to wait quite a while, seeing how the Inuzuka began to cook a couple of minutes after they had arrived at their house.

The enjoyable lunch had almost been enough to make Tobirama forget about the question that Tsume had dumped on him suddenly.

_"When are you finally going to marry my boy?"_

He genuinely did not know where the sudden question had come from. Tsume had never shown any discomfort or unease with their relationship. She had not been completely onboard with Kiba moving in with him a couple of months ago, but she had not really said anything against it either.

Marriage had never been discussed by either of them. So this had completely blindsided him.

But, in a way, he should not have been too caught off guard. After all, Hana and Itachi were making preparations for their marriage ceremony. And many of Kiba's classmates were also whispering about future plans with their soulmates.

Still… It was just so odd for the woman to have suddenly asked him this.

After they had finished eating, they had moved into the main family room and continued to speak about anything that came to their minds.

After a couple of hours of listening to Tsume and Sasuke gossiping over just about every single ninja in the village, Tobirama's senses began to dull.

His heart stuttered for a moment at the thought of Kiba being near.

Even though it was rather annoying how his senses would become numb whenever his soulmate was around, it was a discomfort he found comfort within.

When Kiba appeared, though, Tobirama became worried. The Inuzuka was not wearing his usual smile and even looked as if he didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't even enter the room, he merely stood by the door and motioned for Tobirama to walk towards him.

He stood up, excused himself, and made his way to his soulmate.

Kiba leaned towards him and Tobirama wrapped his arms around him, "What's wrong?"

~/~

"I don't know." He mumbled into Tobirama's chest, face pressed into it as his hands clutched at his shirt. "Do you want kids?"

He blurted the question out impulsively and immediately he felt like an idiot for having asked such a thing. Tobirama froze around him and his heart began to speed up.

Uncomfortable silence reigned over them, making it painfully clear that the question had even been heard by the four people inside of the living room.

"Where did this come from, Kiba?"

"I don't know." He shrugged softly, "I just noticed that a lot of my friends are thinking of tying the knot. And a couple are thinking about kids too. And a lot are talking about big houses and steady jobs and happy wives happy lives."

For a second, Tobirama's arms loosened from around him.

In that second, Kiba felt like the biggest failure in the world.

Then the arms around him tightened unbelievably and he felt Tobirama press a kiss onto the top of his head.

"Let's talk about this back home. For now, let's spend some time with your family."

Warmth and peace washed over him, the mark on his side beginning to glow comfortably.

Kiba smiled softly and nodded. "Okay."

..~..~..

I decided to go with Option A. And I'll try to make this story follow a slower pace than the first one. I really have no rush in writing this one, so, hopefully, the writing itself with show that.

Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

They didn't really talk about the future. Or kids. Or... Anything serious, really.

Kiba wasn't sure if he was relieved about this or extremely disappointed.

Tobirama had always been a great man that usually put other's needs before his own. He tried to be selfless in everything he did and made sure to keep everyone around him safe. But he was also obliviously selfish and extremely ignorant when he got like this. Kiba had a hypothesis that he was the only person to ever truly see this aside from the Third Hokage because he was the only person directly affected by this.

Becoming closed off and refusing to talk about a topic was nothing new when it came to his soulmate. But it certainly was not something that Kiba was completely comfortable with.

With a small sigh, Kiba rolled onto his back and stared up at the white ceiling of their shared apartment.

The sound of the shower turning on and water running came from the bathroom, letting Kiba know that Tobirama was currently in the middle of his morning routine. To his other side, he heard Akamaru rummaging through the closet to pick out Kiba's outfit for the day... He had not felt like getting up just yet, so the dog was doing him this favor.

Talking to Tobirama was _easy_... When it wasn't _difficult_.

Okay, that sounded stupid even in his head... But it was how he felt.

When he was able to get Tobirama to actually talk to him, he was able to say everything he had bottled up within himself and it was so freeing because Tobirama _listened_. But this wasn't something that happened often. Instead, what happened the most was that Tobirama made a point of changing the conversation whenever Kiba tried to talk about something heavy or flat out avoided conversation with him. And when this happened, Kiba lost his voice and didn't dare try again.

Tobirama Senju was a considerate and loving man... Unless he decided to be cold and closed off.

It was as if they had traveled back in time to when Kiba was a mere genin and was still trying to convince him that they were soulmates and nothing would change that.

Akamaru jumped onto the bed with the clothes captured between his teeth, dumping the garments on Kiba's chest. The teen patted the dog on the head, murmured out a "Thank you.", and closed his eyes.

Today was the day that they were supposed to meet with Gaara at the Village Gates...

He was _so_ not looking forward to today.

~/~

Kiba had been so quiet and distant ever since they had gone for dinner at his clan's compound... And Tobirama was completely lost as to what he could do to fix it.

Recently, Kiba had tried to talk to him about the 'children dilemma'- which was how Tobirama had hatefully dubbed it after two days of this mess. But whenever he began to speak about this topic, his eyes filled up with tears. And seeing his soulmate so hurt by this made Tobirama _ache_. So he would divert Kiba's attention away from the harmful topic in the hopes to make him feel better.

Kiba felt worse than ever before and Tobirama felt like a complete fool because he wasn't even capable of making his soulmate happy anymore.

Cold water fell over him but he was numb to how truly freezing it was.

There had been so much tension between him and Kiba recently that he couldn't focus on anything else. His mind tried to come up with possible solutions to their issues, but the only viable ones dealt with _talking_ with Kiba about what was bothering him. But he didn't dare try this because he didn't want to hurt his soulmate any further.

Kiba was supposed to be a ray of sunshine in his life. Right now, though, that ray was dimming until it was barely shining anymore. And he couldn't bare this.

He went through the motions of his morning routine even as his mind mulled over ways to fix this difficult situation they now found themselves in. Before he knew it, he was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for them both and Kiba was in the bathroom... But he felt as if he was on the other side of the planet with how distant they now where.

With a soft sigh, Tobirama focused on making sure that he seasoned the breakfast properly so he could give Kiba at least _this_ small amount of pleasure.

He didn't want to hurt Kiba... But he didn't think they would be able to fix anything _without_ talking about this issue.

As he plated the food, Tobirama promised himself that he would talk to his soulmate later on about everything. He would prepare a delicious dinner for them both so that they could sit down and eat- have a proper and intimate setting where they could talk and feel comfortable about talking.

Before that, though, they were to meet with Gaara at the Village Gates and speak with him.

~/~

They waited for the diplomatic caravan from the Sand by the side of the Village Gates. Kiba stood with his arms crossed- much too busy in his own mind to truly focus on what Gaara may have wanted with them. Tobirama stood to his right, his own arms crossed, with a small scowl decorating his face.

Kiba _hated_ seeing Tobirama scowling... The man deserved only happiness in his life... But he was doing a shitty job of bringing happiness to him.

A couple of feet away from them stood Ibiki and Anko, eager to say their soulmate, and Shikamaru Nara.

When he had found out that Ibiki and Anko were Baki-sensei's soulmates, Kiba had been too stunned to speak. Especially considering how he was one of the few people that knew that Anko was part of Ibiki and Baki's relationship. Publicly, Ibiki and Baki were the official soulmates. He guessed this was like this to give even more weight to the idea of the Leaf and Sand Villages coming together as allies. Privately, though, Anko was an integral part of their relationship.

It was essential this remain a secret, though, seeing how soulmate relationships between _three_ people was frowned upon in the Sand. And even though it wasn't a _bad_ thing in Konoha, it certainly was something that could destroy someone's reputation. And seeing how Ibiki and Anko had some of the most unsavory reputations in the Village... Well, he could understand why they wanted this to be kept quiet.

They did a good job of keeping it quiet. Ibiki and Anko were often seen together as best friends. There were even rumors that said they were in a romantic relationship together while Baki was Ibiki's best friend- platonic soulmates were not too surprising. This kind of relationship between the three of them wasn't received as badly as the three of them _together_ would have been.

Now that he thought about it... Outside of the three soulmates, the Kazekage, and the Hokage, he was the only person he knew of that was privy to this. He hadn't told Tobirama out of respect for Baki... Who he had caught kissing Anko in the Sand on one of his many visits to see Kankuro and had promptly explained everything and sworn him to silence.

Yup... His life was a weird one...

_He didn't like keeping secrets from Tobirama..._

Baki-sensei was the first person to cross through Konoha's gates and he made a point of nodding at all of the people assembled to greet his caravan before heading towards Ibiki. They clasped hands together in what many would see as a gesture of friendship, then nodded at Anko.

They made a point of seeming like close friends in public at all times. They were such great ninja that they barely ever slipped up.

After him, Kankuro and Hayami walked hand in hand. Seeing Orochimaru looking like a female teenager was still dizzying... But at least he looked like a happy civilian woman rather than a jaded wanted criminal. And with pale, delicate skin, light brown eyes, a feminine softness to his features, and the lavender dress that covered up his whole body in a way many would see as chaste, he looked as much a woman as someone that was actually born female.

Temari pushed Kankuro out of the way as she raced towards Shikamaru, scooping him up into her arms to spin him around in a hug. The Nara whined half-heartedly at being handled in such a manner, but it was clear to see the small smile on his lips.

And, finally, Gaara lagged behind his siblings and passed by them without even a blink. He walked directly towards him and Tobirama, offering a small wave as his first hello.

Kiba smiled at him and waved back.

~/~

Suna had sent the Kazekage's children to Konoha to hold further alliance talks with the Hokage and to continue officializing the exchange program Temari and Shikamaru had come up with a month ago.

Unofficially, the Kazekage had sent his children and Baki to Konoha to spend some time with Tsunade in a way to get them to continue getting to know the new mother figure in their lives and for them to have a whole month to spend with their Konoha-born soulmates. Kankuro had been sent along to allow Orochimaru to come back to his home, give his reports on his continued recovery, and interact with the people he had left behind that still cared about him when he left to Suna.

Gaara wasted no time in finding them and quickly asked them to go somewhere private so they could speak without any eavesdroppers. Kiba offered up their apartment without consulting Tobirama... And, no, that didn't bother him at all. He knew that his apartment was one of the safest, most secure places in the Village where they would not be overheard.

He was not bothered at all by not being asked before someone was invited into his home.

 _Not at all_.

… Why was he so bothered?

After they had entered their home, Kiba offered Gaara something to eat or drink. The teenager from Suna agreed to a glass of water and, while Kiba served that up, Tobirama made his way to sit down on the couch.

His living room was set up with a couch, a coffee table, and two recliners. They all faced each other with the table in the middle, which was a layout he usually enjoyed because it aided in keeping the conversation flowing between him and Kiba no matter where they chose to sit.

Kiba walked into the living room with a tray filled with three glasses of water, set it on the table, and promptly sat down on one of the recliners... _Away from him_.

Tobirama made sure to keep his face emotionless as he thanked his soulmate and leaned over to grab one of the drinks.

Gaara sat on the opposite recliner, took his water, and drank from it. Once he had drank what he wanted, he placed it back down and breathed out heavily.

"First of all, allow me to apologize the cryptic manner in which I asked for this meeting... I... Did not know what else to do or who else I could turn to..." The teenager muttered softly, closing his eyes. "You two have dealt with a few soulmate situations not your own and seem to be incredibly patient and understanding..."

Tobirama could understand why Gaara thought this- at a time, they had been the only ones to believe in Orochimaru's redemption and one of the few that actually supported his and Kankuro's relationship.

"In Suna, soulmate relationships are seen under a much more rigid public eye than in Konoha. We have been taught that soulmates are opposites and halves of a whole- so soulmates are supposed to be man and woman. A person's soulmark is not supposed to be seen by anyone other than their parents when young and their soulmate when grown. And a soulmate is supposed to be a romantic partner that will strengthen the genetic pool." Gaara's hands clutched onto his pants as he spoke, growing tighter with every word. "There are other rigid proclamations about soulmates, but these are the main ones."

So Suna continued with the way of thinking that had once been popular throughout the world... Interesting.

Tobirama saw no issue with these thoughts, except for the fact that they were generalizations. It was alright to see soulmates in such a manner- but it was a burden on those that were given soulmates of the same sex.

~/~

"I... I am not normal."

Kiba had heard a similar sort of information from Kankuro when they had been younger. And he understood very well that, no matter what he thought, there were people in the world that thought in a different way. Soulmates were great and should never be rejected or feared. This whole 'a soulmate has to be like this' and 'these are rules to soulmarks' business bothered him. But it wasn't like he could change a whole society's way of thinking.

What he _could_ do was help his friends out whichever way he could.

"In my Village, I would be considered an even bigger aberration if they were to find out about my soulmate issue..." Gaara breathed out regretfully, keeping his head down and his gaze away from him. "My _soulmates_ issue."

Kiba caught onto exactly what Gaara meant immediately.

And his heart squeezed at the implication for a teen like him in a village like Suna.

"Pardon me, Gaara... Did you say soulmates? As in... Plural?" Tobirama sounded absolutely taken aback and when Kiba looked at him, it was to find him with his face drawn in with nothing short of pure confusion.

Gaara nodded shakily but said nothing.

Tobirama huffed out a small breath and shook his head, "And I thought I had come across all types of soulmates to date... Life never ceases to amaze..."

Kiba frowned softly at the observation- Tobirama was treating this like an experiment rather than an actual human being in distress. But he soon stood up and walked towards Gaara. Once before him, he crouched down and placed his hands over Gaara's own.

"Trust me when I say this, Gaara- soulmates come in all shapes, sizes, and numbers. You are _not_ an aberration. You're just human."

~/~

To Tobirama, it seemed as if Kiba took this multiple soulmate declaration much easier than he should have. But he did not ponder too much on it at the moment. Instead, he asked the Suna teen, "Do you know who your soulmates are?"

Gaara opened his eyes and nodded dumbly at Kiba.

Kiba smiled up at him in a manner that was supposed to reassure him.

… Kiba had not smiled with him in a rather long time...

"Do they know who you are?"

Once again, Gaara nodded.

Now Kiba asked, "Have you talked about this... Situation?"

It took him a couple of seconds, but soon Gaara shook his head. "Not to them _together_... Just to one... And he said that we could make it work if we wanted to... But I do not believe him."

Alright. So one of his soulmates was a male.

Truly, human variability was an amazing thing. Even _soulmates_ weren't a given in twos! There was, apparently, some kind of possibility of soulmates appearing in more than just two people.  _Fascinating._

"Do we know these soulmates of yours?" Tobirama questioned, making Gaara nod once more.

"They're... They're Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga."

Marvelous. Three soulmates, united by fate. 

..~..~..

I am so very sorry that I have not updated this story in forever! Coming up with this chapter was much harder than I ever could have thought of! I apologize profusely for having left this story un-updated for so long. Please forgive me!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I _promise_ that this story will not be dropped or forgotten. I _will_ complete it.

In other news, I am working on alternate universe story based on this soulmate universe. It'll be Tobirama/Kiba, but instead of being about Tobirama living with Kiba and having adventures and stuff, it will be a universe where, on the very day he's revived, he dies before Kiba's eyes. So it'll be a much darker Tobirama/Kiba soulmate AU. I should be posting the first chapter either today or tomorrow.

Please review and tell me what you thought!


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